Redemption
by estychan
Summary: Post-Avengers. The only way Loki can return to Asgard for good is if he lives among humans as a mortal for a year and changes his ways. Will a woman he meets along the way help him achieve redemption for his crimes? M for later chapters. Loki/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, everyone! Long time, no see. ^_^;; College has sucked up a lot of my free time over the past few months, but I'm on summer vacation now so here is a new fanfic for you all to enjoy! :D I saw The Avengers two times last week (once on Monday and once on Friday), and I have been absolutely OBSESSED with Loki's character since I saw it the first time. I randomly got an idea for this fanfic while I was at work last night, bored out of my mind, so I thought it couldn't hurt to write it down and see how it goes. I have no idea right now how many chapters this story is going to be, but I predict somewhere around five or six, depending on how long I decide to make each chapter.**

**Rated M for sex in later chapters. Please read and review! **

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Asgard. It was a home that Loki had long since believed he would never lay eyes upon again. There were so many good memories in this place: playing in the sprawling courtyards with his brother, great feasts held for all to enjoy, where he would laugh and make merry with all of Thor's warrior friends, sitting in the library night after night and studying ways to better his magic. Such bittersweet memories they were…

Now, Loki was viewing his home not as Loki Odinson, the youngest son of the All-Father, but as Loki Laufeyson, the son of a frost giant: a monster. Above all, though, he was viewing it as a petty criminal, chained and prevented from saying so much as a single word by the awful, uncomfortable gag over his mouth. He turned his green gaze toward Thor as he led him to the throne room, and he couldn't help but entertain thoughts of what his punishment might be. Would he be thrown into exile until the end of time, or would he be sentenced to death?

_Well, I will find out soon enough, I suppose._

As they approached Odin's throne, one of the guards tailing them forced Loki to his knees and he glared silently at him before looking up at the king who had raised him from infancy. The expression on the All-Father's face was grim but not angry, and that unsettled the trickster to no end. What was he thinking?

"Loki," Odin said finally, "you break my heart. I thought you were dead; we _all_ thought you were dead. Yet discovering you were alive, only to find out that you were attacking Earth with an alien army… It pains me."

Loki clenched his fists and wanted nothing more than to yell at him, but the gag left him with no choice but to remain silent.

"In the wake of what has happened, and taking into consideration all that you did here in Asgard before this incident occurred, you have left me with no other choice. Loki, the punishment for your actions… is death."

A poisonous silence fell over the throne room, and Loki's eyes widened just slightly. He had seen it coming, but even so, he didn't want to die. He cringed when the guard holding him down grabbed him roughly by the arm and yanked him to his feet, presumably to drag him off to the dungeons where he would then be executed.

"Wait!"

Thor's sudden outburst shocked everyone, and Loki's eyes flicked toward him warily.

"Loki doesn't need to die, Father," Thor began, taking a few steps forward. His blue eyes were intense, and his words genuinely surprised Loki. Why was Thor defending him even after all of the trouble he had put him through on Earth?

Odin's eyebrows raised with interest and he leaned forward slightly in his throne, staring Thor down as though demanding further explanation. That was all the god of thunder needed to continue, turning his head to look at the little brother he had loved all his life.

"It is true that Loki has been led astray and was misguided in his actions on Earth, but the same can be said for myself, when I acted so rashly and charged into Jotunheim without your permission. You sent me into exile in the human realm, and I learned much during my time there, both about the humans and about who I am. I think, perhaps, if you made him experience the same, he could change."

Thor's expression was hopeful then, and he could tell that his father was seriously considering his proposal of what to do with Loki.

"Please, Father. Give him a chance to redeem himself, just as you did for me."

Odin heaved a great sigh and nodded his head, a faint smile making the wrinkles under his eyes more apparent. "Very well. Loki, I will grant you this one chance. If you are able to live amongst the humans and have truly changed your ways in a year's time, then you will be allowed to return here to Asgard and live amongst us once more, as family. However, if you are unable to do this, and Heimdall tells me that no change has been made, you will never again be able to return here. Nod your head if you understand, my son."

Loki hated the conditions of his return to the "normalcy" of being an Asgardian prince. Earth had done nothing good for him since he was first introduced to it, and who he was would no doubt come back to haunt him if he tried interacting with anyone while he was there, but what choice did he have? It was a better alternative than death, at least. He looked away momentarily before locking gazes with the All-Father and giving a slight nod of his head.

Odin seemed pleased and almost surprised by his cooperation. "Good. Well, then—"

"Hold, Father. If it is alright, I would like to have a word with my brother in private before he must go. Do I have permission to remove the mask?"

"Yes… but do not tarry long, Thor. His hourglass empties little by little with each moment that is wasted here."

"I know. Come; walk with me, brother." Thor walked out of the throne room via one of the side exits and Loki followed, suspicious about what Thor wanted to speak to him about. Once they were alone in one of the castle's large dining halls, Thor stopped and walked over to him, reaching behind his head and unbuckling the infernal mask that was keeping him from saying anything. When it was finally gone, Loki sighed and brought both bound hands up to rub at his cheeks, opening and closing his jaw slowly. The mask had been uncomfortably tight.

"You might have put that damn thing on me a little more loosely, Thor," he said calmly, lowering his hands. "My lips were nearly going numb."

"Is everything a joke to you?"

"Well, I wouldn't say _that_…" Loki shrugged and looked Thor right in the eyes, wondering just how far he could push him.

Thor let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head, crossing his arms and frowning deeply at him. "I could see in your eyes that you had questions back there, Loki. Speak them now, if you must."

"Alright, then. My question is quite simply this: why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why did you convince Father to spare me? I have wronged Asgard, Earth, _you_… After all I have done, why would you even consider giving me a second chance?"

"Because you are my brother, and as much as you hate to see it, I love you as such. You have been by my side since childhood, Loki. I can't just give up on you."

"I am not your brother, Thor; we've been over this. You know very well what I really am…"

"Yes, I know, but it changes nothing. We were raised as brothers, as _family_, and I never turn my back on those I care about."

Loki didn't know what to say. Thor's words struck him deep, and his brow furrowed with sadness. He had always told himself that any endearment Thor sent his way was falsified, but now he wasn't so sure. Was it possible that Thor was as good a liar as he was; as Odin was? _It's very possible. If I was lied to all of those years about what I really am, then lying to me about this should be even easier for them. Well, I'm not going to fall for it. Not again. _Thor took a step forward; Loki took a small step back. Even so, Thor continued to move toward him until there was very little distance between them and he rested his hands on both of the dark-haired god's shoulders, smiling at him.

"I know you can atone for your misguided actions, Loki. If I did not believe that with every fiber of my being, I would never have suggested it to Father. I know you are bitter towards him for keeping the truth from you, and I know you told me on Earth that you always felt like you were living in my shadow… but the truth is, Father does love us both equally. After you fell into that abyss, he and Mother mourned your death for months. We all mourned you…"

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"So you know that when you succeed in this task Father has given you, you will have a home to return to and a family that loves you."

Loki said nothing, absently looking at one of Thor's large hands and frowning thoughtfully. He couldn't trust his brother's words, and it showed… but Thor wasn't pushing him on it.

"Come," Thor said after a few moments. "We must return before Father sends a guard to find you." The two brothers walked side-by-side back to Odin's throne room, and they both stood before him. Even as he stood there, the inner workings of Loki's clever mind were turning and turning. He would play along with this farce for now… but in the end, the joke would be on Odin and all of Asgard. When he returned after one year, he would bring a glorified fire storm upon his old home, and the All-Father would pay for neglecting him all of those years and permanently placing him in Thor's shadow his entire life. Odin and Thor would both fall, and Loki would be king. Then, once he was king, it was only a matter of time before Earth paid for its "hospitality," too. For now, he needed to regain everyone's trust so their suspicions wouldn't be upon him.

As such, when he finally spoke, it was innocent and unassuming. As far as anyone was concerned, his mind was completely devoid of schemes of any kind… but his nickname wasn't Silver Tongue for nothing.

"Will my banishment be under the same condition as Thor's was?" he questioned, green eyes focused solely on Odin and demanding a straight answer.

"Yes. Your power will be stripped from you and you will be forced to live as an ordinary human during the time you are there."

_Oh, wonderful…_

"Very well… I am ready to leave now, Father."

"We will be watching you every step of the way, Loki," their mother interjected suddenly. "We will anxiously await your hopeful return in a year's time."

Loki had only enough time to offer her a brief smile before he was being ejected from Asgard via one of the several, smaller pathways that were a now a necessity ever since the Rainbow Bridge had been shattered by Thor. As he fell, he felt the magic within him weakening until it was no more, and the shock that came from it was overwhelming.

Everything went black.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of "Redemption"! :) Please feel free to leave a review if you liked it; maybe give me some suggestions on what to include in future chapters. See you next chapter! ;D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here is chapter 2. =D I had a lot of fun with Loki in this one, and I'm sure you'll see why soon enough. Enjoy, and please read and review! 3**

**Rated M for later chapters.**

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When Loki awoke, he had no idea where on Earth he was. All he could grasp upon awakening was that he was laying in an alleyway in the middle of the night, rain pouring from the sky and soaking him to the bone. Lightning crackled overhead and he chuckled weakly, sitting up slowly and wiping rain from his eyes to no avail.

"Laughing at me, are you, Thor?" he mumbled, taking the deplorable weather as a sign that Thor was mocking him. He got to his feet and leaned against the alley wall for support, looking down at his attire. He was dressed in little more than a simple, cotton shirt and trousers, stripped of his armor and his powers on the way down from Asgard. He felt so exposed and powerless (literally); he didn't like it in the least. He ran a hand through his long, soaking-wet hair and made his way out of the alleyway, looking around him in an attempt to gauge where he was on Earth. Wherever he was, it didn't look anything like New York, which he had to be at least somewhat grateful for. If Odin had dropped him in New York after he had only just destroyed a large portion of Manhattan, things truly would have been made very difficult for him. Now, at least, he knew there wouldn't be mobs of angry New Yorkers chasing him, hungry for his blood after he nearly annihilated their home.

He started walking, absently looking at street signs and trying not to get himself run over by one of those metal things on wheels that humans so adored to ride around in. He shivered when the rain only started pouring down even harder and he hugged himself, rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm himself up. He needed to find some sort of shelter and some dry clothes. If he didn't, he knew this weak human body would fall ill and he would be even more miserable than he already was.

The sound of a woman screaming pierced through the sound of the rain falling and Loki tensed. He glanced briefly up at the stormy sky, a small smirk upon his lips. _Heimdall is watching every move I make… Perhaps this will be a good start to my time here on in this dreadful realm._ Trying to judge which direction the scream had come from, Loki started running. After a few minutes, he succeeded in finding the source of the scream in an alleyway some distance down the road from where Loki had woken up.

A young woman was surrounded by three men who were much larger than her, one man holding her arms tightly behind her while the second man tore open the front of her blouse. The third man was standing beside the second, twirling a switchblade in his right hand and licking his lips in the most obscene way.

"Stop squirming, darlin'," the brute with the knife said as he pressed the tip of the blade threateningly against her cheek just hard enough for her to feel the cold steel. His British accent was thick, and now Loki had some idea where he had ended up. "The more you squirm, the harder this is going to be for you."

"Burn in hell," the woman hissed defiantly, trying to get her arms free but crying out when the man behind her only gripped them all the tighter. Her eyes widened with fear when the second man's hands went for her belt and she struggled even harder, crying out when her struggles made the third man's blade lightly slice across her cheek and leave a shallow cut.

Loki had seen enough. He stood up to his full height and stepped casually into the alleyway, his hands clasped behind his back and a cool smirk upon his lips. "Well, well… what have we here?"

All three thugs and the woman turned their eyes upon him, surprised by his sudden appearance and at how quiet he was. They hadn't even heard him approach. The man with the switchblade pulled his lips back into a snarl like the most irate of hounds and moved away from the woman and toward Loki, clearly annoyed by his untimely interruption. Loki didn't so much as flinch, his gaze moving only briefly to the menacing blade before fixing itself on the brute's face.

"You'd best be on your way," the man growled, holding the blade up in a threatening manner. "Leave, and no one gets hurt."

"Is that so? Well, no one but this young lady, I imagine," Loki said with an indifferent shrug.

The thug holding the woman's arms behind her back laughed out loud and interjected, "Oi, we're just 'aving a bit of fun! Aren't we, darlin'?"

The brute with the knife clenched his jaw in irritation and took another threatening step toward Loki, towering a few inches over the fallen god. The fact that Loki didn't seem the least bit intimidated by him only served to anger him more. "I'll give you to the count of five, asshole. If you're not turning tail by then, you're going to have some _serious_ trouble on your hands. One—"

Loki smirked arrogantly, a low chuckle of amusement escaping him. "And I will give you to the count of _three_ to release that woman and be on your way. Do that, and nobody gets hurt."

The man didn't even bother to finish counting to five, because Loki had already crossed the line. With a roar, he lunged at the slighter man, confident that he would come out on top and he would be able to cut him up with no problems. He couldn't have been more wrong. The second he made a move toward him, Loki swiftly spun out of the way and grabbed hold of the man's knife-wielding arm, visibly straining as he tried wresting it from his grasp. He wasn't very successful on that front, unfortunately… but where these thugs were all brawn, Loki had brains. His cleverness had served him well in many past battles, so perhaps it would do so again even though he was just a man now.

The man shrugged Loki off and aimed to punch him with his other hand, cursing loudly when Loki ducked just out of reach once more. "You're a slippery motherfucker, aren't you? Stop dodging and fight me if you think you're so tough!"

"Alright then." Loki ducked away from the blade once more as the man aimed right at his throat with it, grabbing him by the arm and moving to twist it behind the thug's back at a painful angle. It gave him just enough time to finally wrest the knife from the man's grip and he shoved the man away, watching with a quick laugh as he stumbled briefly and caught himself on the alley wall.

"Such a pathetic weapon," he mused, turning the blade over briefly in his hands before flipping it shut and stowing it away in the pocket of his trousers. "Let's see just how tough you are without it."

"That's it, I'm done fucking around with you!" the man roared. He looked fiercely at his two comrades, shouting at them to forget the woman and help him teach Loki a lesson he would never forget. Fighting three of the brutes at once would certainly pose more of a challenge for the now-human Loki, but even so, he was looking forward to the thrill of it.

He put everything he had into dodging their strikes and counterattacking when they left themselves open, using his quick reflexes to his advantage and hitting them where it hurt every chance he got. Unfortunately, because he no longer had his magic, there were several times when he would get hit or scratched and have to focus solely on evasion while he recovered, and when he was hit, he was hit _hard_. He brought a hand briefly up to his nose, wiping under it with his fingertips and seeing that there was blood. _Well, how about that?_

When he glimpsed something shining on the ground, he grinned when he saw that it was a glass bottle and he bent down quickly to pick it up, jumping back out of the path of another of the thug's strikes. When he saw an opening, he rushed forward and swung the bottle as hard as he could, smashing it into the side of a thug's head so hard that the bottle shattered.

Blood poured down the side of the man's face and he collapsed, Loki having been lucky enough to hit him hard enough to make him black out. _One down; two to go._

The fight dragged on and on, but eventually, Loki was able to incapacitate the strongest of the three: the one whose knife now rested in his pocket. It took a lot to bring him down, but Loki had eventually opted for luring him between himself and the other thug in such a way that when the other man tried attacking, he ended up punching his own ally right in the face and completely crushing his nose. He then blacked out from the pain, and it was just one thug against Loki from that point, on. He rolled across the wet ground to avoid the man's more sluggish moves and he kicked out at one of his knees, nailing him right where it counted and causing the thug to collapse to one knee in pain. He hadn't broken his kneecap, but he had incapacitated him long enough to gain the upper hand. Loki quickly got to his feet and whipped the switchblade out of his pocket, moving behind the thug before he could stand and placing the blade right under his chin. The man froze.

Breathing heavily, Loki rasped, "I will kill you if I have to; don't think I won't. However, if you'd like, I can give you a head start so you can get your sorry hide out of my sight. Deal?"

"F-fine, whatever! The bitch isn't worth having my fucking throat cut open," the man gruffly and tensely stated, eyes so wide that there was white showing all around the irises. Satisfied, Loki took the blade away from the man's throat and let go of him, kicking him hard in the small of his back and watching with sadistic pleasure as he scrambled to his feet and ran out of the alley like the devil himself was snapping at his heels.

Panting softly as he tried catching his breath, Loki folded the switchblade up and slid it back into his trousers, licking blood away from his upper lip when he felt it trickling down from his nose. Thankfully, it didn't feel like his nose was broken. He turned his green eyes indifferently toward the woman he had just rescued, watching as she shakily got to her feet and pulled her torn blouse as tightly over her chest as she could to hide some of her indecency from him.

"You should be safe for the time being," he said calmly. "However, I would advise against walking around late at night by yourself, in the future." He turned to leave but stopped when the woman told him to wait. He glanced over his shoulder at her, raising an eyebrow in inquiry as she approached him.

"T-thank you," she stammered, visibly shaking from the cold and from the shock of what had just transpired in front of her. "I was walking home from work when those bastards jumped me. If it isn't too much trouble, m-maybe you could walk home with me…? I-I don't think I want to continue the rest of the way on my own if that man is still nearby, even if my apartment is only a few more blocks from here."

Loki nodded slightly. "Fine. It isn't as though I have anywhere else I need to be."

The woman's eyes lit up and she smiled slightly, some tension visibly leaving her shoulders as Loki accepted the request. "Okay… Follow me."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed chapter 2 of "Redemption"! ^_^ Keep an eye out for chapter three sometime in the next couple of days.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here is chapter 3 for you all! :) To everyone who has added "Redemption" to their story alerts, to their favorites, or simply left a review, thank you sooooo much! Every email notification I get from about someone else liking my story enough to even read ahead to chapter 2 truly brings a smile to my face. I'm grateful for everyone's continued support. And now, without further ado, enjoy chapter 3 of "Redemption"! Please read and review!**

**Rated M for sex in later chapters.**

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The walk to the woman's apartment building wasn't long, but the silence between them seemed to drag on forever.

Finally, the silence was broken by her hesitant voice. "I don't believe I caught your name."

"I have not said it," Loki stated simply. "However, if you must know, my name is Loki." It didn't hit him until after he said it that he probably should not have given out his real name, but it was too late now. All he could do was hope that the name didn't ring any bells in the woman's mind. Thankfully, her demeanor didn't seem to change at all and he felt a small sense of relief. "May I ask what yours is, as well?"

"Felicity. Felicity Taylor."

Loki nodded when she told him what her name was, pleased that he at least had something to refer to her as, now. After walking alongside Felicity for several more minutes, she stopped at the door of a brick building and opened the door, stepping inside. Loki followed, glancing around at the new surroundings. The lobby of the apartment building was surprisingly nice, the floor covered in white tiles and the walls painted an inviting, pale green with white molding around the edges of the floor and ceiling. Felicity led him up three flights of stairs and down a narrow hallway, unlocking a door marked with a brass "310" and crossing the threshold.

Felicity's apartment was large and had a very comfortable air about it. The decorations were simple but practical, a few potted plants sitting on tables near the windows, which were covered by lavender-colored curtains. Loki stood in the center of the living room, taking in every detail of his surroundings as Felicity gradually settled into the comfort that only her home could provide after such a trying incident.

He was so focused on the new environment he had found himself in that he didn't even notice just how much he was dripping from the rain and shivering.

"You're soaked to the bone!" Felicity exclaimed, frowning at him and tucking a few wet strands of auburn hair behind her ear. She was soaked, too, but for whatever reason, she seemed more concerned about the comfort of her guest—no, her _savior_. "Wait here, okay? I'm going to go get changed, and while I'm at it, I'll see if I have anything that'll fit you."

Loki shook his head and held up a dismissive hand, frowning. He didn't feel comfortable accepting Felicity's help, unaccustomed to being fawned over by a woman. She had more pressing things to worry about, he was certain.

"Please, there is no need. I must be on my way. You asked only that I escort you home, and I have done so. Now, I must take my leave. You understand."

"And as my guest and the man who saved my life, it is only fair that I show you some hospitality while you are here. You'll catch your death if you go back outside in this weather," Felicity stated with a small smile. Loki sighed at her persistence, but he finally accepted her offer and took a seat on the couch in her living room, not even considering that she might not want a soaking-wet stranger dripping water all over it. Felicity said nothing on the matter before she disappeared into a room just off of the living room, the door shutting behind her.

Loki was left alone to his thoughts for about ten minutes before he heard Felicity's bedroom door open and he looked up, watching as she entered the room with a lilac nightgown on and carrying an armful of clothing that looked much too big for her. She handed the pile of clothes to him and smiled, urging him to take it. He did.

"My ex-boyfriend's," she explained, clasping her hands in front of her. "It's been a month and he still hasn't stopped by to grab the rest of his clothing, so at least I'm able to put it to good use." A glimmer of hurt filled her eyes and lasted for a few moments before she was able to compose herself.

"These will do just fine. Thank you. Now… is there somewhere I can change in private?" Loki asked, getting to his feet and being careful not to hold the clothes in a way that they, too, got wet.

"Yes, of course. Through that door there is the bathroom," Felicity answered, pointing at the door in question and smiling kindly. "If you need to warm up, I don't mind if you use the shower, either."

The fallen god smiled faintly and thanked her before walking past her and into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. The bathroom was small, but it would suffice. Sighing, he stripped out of his wet clothes and let them fall to the floor, looking himself over in the bathroom mirror for a minute. He looked rather worse for wear after the fight he had engaged in, covered in bruises wherever the thugs succeeded in hitting him. He frowned with disgust at the sight, now having cuts and bruises from both the Hulk and the thugs that would need to heal on their own… and now that he was only a man, he knew that could take some time.

_This mortal body is so pathetically fragile,_ he thought with a heavy sigh as he got into the shower and pulled the curtain closed to hide himself. _I suppose I should be more careful from now on and not charge so readily into fights like that._ He eyed the shower knob and turned it halfway to the left—the side marked with red and which he could only assume meant it turned on the hot water—and his muscles instantly relaxed when the water hit his achy body. The water was just the right temperature, hot enough for him to feel the warmth overtake the chill but not hot enough to burn him. In Asgard, there were only baths… but now he was starting to believe wholeheartedly that showers were much nicer.

When the chill completely left him and the dirt and grime from his encounter with the thugs were washed away, Loki turned the shower off and pulled the curtain back, stepping out and looking around for a towel with which to dry himself. He found a few on a nearby rack on the wall and grabbed it, using it to get some of the water out of his dark hair before catching the water droplets on his lean but able body. His body may have been a lot slighter than Thor's, but he was just as strong in some ways and more strong in others, even so. He winced heavily upon pressing down too hard on a particularly nasty bruise and he cursed quietly under his breath, making a mental note to be a little gentler.

The towel dropped to the tile floor when he was done with it and he grabbed the clean, dry clothes Felicity had provided for him off of the marble bathroom counter to put them on. They were a little bit big on him, but he supposed they fit well enough. He left the bathroom then, and he was surprised to see Felicity waiting for him at the small kitchen table with a steaming mug of something held between her hands and a similar mug next to her that he could only assume was for him.

"This was unnecessary," he stated, puzzled as he approached her.

"Of course it is! Like I said before, you're my guest. It would be rude of me to not at least offer you something."

"I suppose you are right." Forcing a small smile, Loki sat down beside her at the table and picked up the mug, sniffing the beverage briefly in an attempt to discern what it was before taking a small sip. The taste was very rich and thick, but he enjoyed it. "What manner of drink is this?"

"Hot chocolate," she stated, raising an eyebrow at him and suddenly looking very confused. "You can't tell me you've never had it before."

"Ah, but I can. We do not have such a drink where I come from," he stated, taking another careful sip of the hot liquid.

"Really? Wow; I thought every country had hot chocolate. Where are you from? When I first heard you speak, I thought you were from here in London, or maybe Wales. You're more eloquent than most people I know."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said simply. He knew she wouldn't. After all, this same thing had happened to his brother when he was exiled to Earth. The last thing he needed was for this woman to think him mad.

"Try me."

_Well, I suppose taming my "silver tongue" could count as changing my ways, in the Allfather's eyes…_

"I am from a realm known as Asgard," he began and he was about to say more before he saw the recognition dawn on Felicity's face and her eyes widened with shock. He silenced himself, seeing that she wanted to speak.

"Wait… that sounds familiar. Oh my God. A year ago, I saw a news story on the internet about something that happened in America where someone named Thor claimed to be from Asgard and it turned out that he really was true. _That_ Asgard?" Felicity murmured, in disbelief and trying to wrap her head around what Loki had just told her.

"The very same. Thor is—_was_—my brother."

"I can't believe it. You told me that your name is Loki, so does that mean that you're… that what happened in Manhattan a couple of days ago…" Even though the United Kingdom and the United States were two separate countries, news of big goings-on in each country often crossed the ocean to their news networks, so that each country knew what was going on in the other whenever something big happened.

"Yes, that was me, but I assure you, you have no reason to be alarmed. I mean you no harm. Odin sent me here to 'repent,' as it were. I am but a mere mortal like you at present, so you needn't fear me."

Felicity laughed nervously and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "This is unbelievable. I mean, I knew you looked familiar from the moment I saw you, and now I know why." She looked at Loki skeptically, a tinge of fear still in her dark eyes. "But you say you're human now?"

"Yes," Loki answered. "If I were still a god, that fight I got in earlier to save your life would have been over in seconds and those men would have been reduced to naught but a pile of ash."

"Good point."

"You won't tell anyone about me, will you?" Loki questioned warily. "It is bad enough that I have revealed who I am to just one person, but if more people were to find out…"

"Your secret's safe with me, Loki," Felicity promised, reaching over to set a hand lightly on his arm. He tensed at the contact. "You say you've turned over a new leaf, and I would say you saving my life when you weren't obligated to is proof enough of that."

_Well, that was easy,_ Loki thought with some relief. He picked up his mug again and finished off the hot chocolate inside it, getting to his feet and pushing his chair in. "I should be going. I have been a burden on you long enough. Thank you for your kind hospitality."

"You're welcome. Say, Loki… if you're not from around here, that means you don't have anywhere to stay, right? If that's the case, I have a guest bedroom. Maybe you could stay here for a while until you find somewhere else to stay."

The offer surprised him, and he honestly didn't know what to say. If he refused, he would seem ungrateful, but if he accepted, it would affect his pride. What was the lesser of two evils? He opened his mouth to protest but stopped when Felicity held up a hand to keep him from refusing.

"I insist," she said firmly. "Consider it repayment for saving my life."

"I…" Loki sighed quietly and shook his head, a tiny smile appearing across his lips. He had almost forgotten how stubborn mortal women—nay, women in general—could be. "Very well, Miss Taylor. I accept your gracious offer."

Felicity giggled and beamed, seeming very happy that he had agreed to stay until he was able to find somewhere else to go. "Good. Now, you must be exhausted after the long journey it must have been to get here from Asgard, so you should go ahead and get some rest. The guest room is right down that little hallway, there. I have the day off from work tomorrow, so I can give you a little tour of London if you want."

"I think I would like that. Well, goodnight, Miss—"

"Please, just call me Felicity. We're roommates now, so there's no need to be formal."

Loki chuckled softly. "Right. Sleep well then, Felicity." With that, Loki made his way to the guest bedroom; he closed the door.

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**A/N: End of chapter 3. ^_^ I haven't started chapter 4 yet but since I'm going to be pretty busy over the next few days between BBQs and work or just being away from the internet in general, you can probably expect chapter 4 to be up by Tuesday night. Have a great weekend, everyone!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: After two hours of trying to log in to to finally update this, I've managed to do so! _ Chapter 4 gave me quite a bit of trouble while I was writing it because I wasn't quite sure where it was going to go, but I hope it leads nicely into chapter 5. I hope to have chapter 5 up sometime next week, since I'm not going to have internet access for a few days after today. Keep an eye out for future chapters, and PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! I love seeing positive feedback and constructive criticism. :)**

**Rated M for later chapters.**

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Morning came sooner than Loki had expected. When he had gone to bed the following night, he had fallen asleep almost immediately upon resting his head on the pillow. The alley fight had tired him out more than he could have foreseen, but at least he hadn't been lying in bed restless and awake until sunrise.

A thin stream of sunlight streamed into the room from a gap in the curtains and rested across Loki's sleeping face. He stirred and slowly opened his eyes, regretting doing so when he needed to squint against the light, temporarily blinded by it. He groaned softly and turned onto his other side so that he was facing away from the window, blinking a few times and allowing his eyes to adjust to the new lighting. He glanced briefly at the alarm clock on the nightstand and saw that the numbers read 8:04AM. Time was different in Asgard than it was on Earth, so he didn't know what the "AM" meant, but he could puzzle out the rest.

Outside of the bedroom, he could hear movement as Felicity went about her morning business, so Loki decided it would be okay to get out of bed knowing that he wouldn't be waking anyone up by doing so. He got out of bed and raised his arms over his head, stretching languidly to smooth out the stiffness of sleep.

Big mistake.

A sharp gasp of pain left him and he immediately stopped stretching, wincing and laying both arms across his stomach which he knew to be covered in bruises. The soreness of the events from the previous night was so much worse now than it had been when he went to bed, and it felt like he had gotten an even greater beating than he had. Inhaling slowly to overcome the ache, he made his way over to the bedroom door and pulled it open, stepping out into the well-lit living area. He saw Felicity moving about in the open kitchen and he forced a small smile, walking over and taking a seat at the table.

"Good morning," he greeted, voice still tight from the stiff ache running rampant throughout his body.

Felicity jumped slightly with surprise at the sudden voice behind her but soon relaxed when she remembered she wasn't alone in the apartment, looking over her shoulder and smiling at her new roommate.

"Oh, good morning! I was wondering when you'd be getting up." The cheek that the thug had left a shallow cut on with his pocketknife was left bare and showed no signs of being tended to beyond a simple cleaning. The skin around the cut was red and irritated, looking like it had been rubbed by something.

Loki frowned. "That wound looks angry… Shouldn't you have taken care of that already to avoid infection?" He didn't know much about mortal medicine, but he did know that the humans didn't have healing stones to treat their sick and wounded. It was an unfortunate thing, really. Healing stones worked wonders on all kinds of ailments.

Felicity brought two fingers up to lightly touch the cut and she winced. It was starting to hurt again, and the fact that she had been tossing and turning all night and rubbing the cut cheek against the pillow hadn't helped the situation at all.

"Yes, but… all I wanted to do last night was sleep, so all I had time to do was clean it with warm water," she admitted, seeming embarrassed to say so.

"You should probably take care of it now, then, before it gets worse," Loki advised. "Do you have anything here to treat small cuts with?"

"There's a first-aid kit under the sink in the water closet, but I was just about to start breakfast—"

"That can wait." Loki got to his feet and started making his way toward the bathroom, but Felicity stopped him.

"The bathroom and the water closet are two different rooms in the apartment," she stated. "The water closet is the room right next to the one you took a shower in last night."

Loki thanked her and walked into the room next to the bathroom, opening the cabinets under the sink and finding the first-aid kit with relative ease. He carried it back to the kitchen and sat back down at the table, fixing his green gaze upon the flabbergasted young woman standing before him.

"Sit down," he urged. "This shouldn't take long if you instruct me in what to do. I have never needed to treat wounds like this before, so I regret to admit I will need some help in doing so."

"Oh, um… okay." Felicity sat down and turned her chair around so that she was facing the fallen god of mischief, opening the first-aid kit and taking out everything she believed Loki would need. She handed him a cotton ball and a small bottle of clear fluid. "First, put some of that liquid on the cotton ball, then dab the cut with it."

Loki said nothing and simply did as Felicity instructed, dabbing at the cut with the wet cotton ball. When he heard a soft hissing sound slip past the woman's clenched teeth, he paused and frowned at her. "Am I hurting you?"

"It stings, but it's fine. That means it's working," Felicity explained, hands clenched on her knees. "Don't worry if it starts bleeding again, either."

Loki continued following Felicity's instructions on how to care for the cut and went to grab a bandage from the first-aid kit, but Felicity reached over and touched his wrist to stop him. He paused and glanced at her questioningly.

"I don't think it needs a bandage on it. It'll actually heal faster if the air is able to get to it, I think."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. I'll just put a bandage on it at night when I go to bed and it should be fine. Now, I saw them hit you a few times last night, so be honest: do you have any injuries that need taking care of? I saw you cringe when you stood up to get the first-aid kit."

Loki shook his head and went to close the first-aid kit, but Felicity gave his wrist a squeeze to advise him against it. He sighed and looked at her with a frown, seeming embarrassed to admit that he had been hurt.

"Yes, I got a few cuts and bruises, but I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse." After all, he had gotten his ass handed to him by the Avengers' pet rage monster in New York. At that time, though, he had still been a god and had been able to handle it. If the Hulk ever came after him when he was in this pathetic, mortal state, he wouldn't stand a chance.

"Show me."

"Pardon?"

"Show me how bad it is."

Rolling his eyes, Loki grabbed the hem of the T-shirt he was wearing and pulled it up just enough to show the bruises and the small cuts decorating his torso, and when Felicity leaned in to judge the severity of the injuries, he could have sworn he saw a light blush on her cheeks. He grinned a bit at the sight, but he said nothing about it.

"Jesus," Felicity murmured at the sight of those bruises, resting a hand on one and gently pressing with her fingertips. Even the slightest pressure made Loki inhale sharply with discomfort, so she moved her hand away. "Well, there isn't much I can do for the bruises, and those cuts are small enough to heal on their own… but I can at least give you some medicine for the pain. Wait here."

Loki watched Felicity get up and disappear into her bedroom, lowering his shirt now that she had assessed the damage that had been done. She came back a few minutes later and set a small, white pill down on the table before pouring him a glass of water and handing it to him. "Swallow that with some water. The one pill should be enough to dull the pain but if it's not enough, let me know. The directions said you can take up to two pills every six hours."

He was a bit skeptical about the idea of putting an unknown substance in his body, but at the same time, he knew he didn't want to be cringing in pain all day while Felicity was showing him around London. Giving in, he sighed and picked up the small, white pill, popping it into his mouth and swallowing it down with some water. At least the pill was tasteless.

"Well, now that that's taken care of," Felicity began, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms with a smile, "what do you want for breakfast?"

"I'll have whatever you have," he replied. "I don't know the names of the food here, so I'll try anything."

"Strawberry pancakes with maple syrup, coming right up!"

Loki didn't know what pancakes were, exactly, but what he did know was that he enjoyed them immensely. They were delicious! Felicity had even made some hot chocolate for him to go with his breakfast. When he was finished, he downed the last dregs of the warm beverage and leaned back in his chair, smiling.

"I have to admit, those were delicious," he stated with a light chuckle.

Felicity giggled and swallowed a mouthful of pancake, almost finished with her own.

"I'm glad you liked them. Pancakes are my favorite breakfast food, and they're fun to make, so I cook them a lot. I'm sure they're nothing compared to whatever food you have in Asgard, though."

Loki shrugged. "Asgardian food is delicious, yes… but we don't have anything like this there. If Volstagg ever spent time eating Midgardian food, I'm sure The Warriors Three would be short one warrior from that point on."

"Who's Volstagg? And what do you mean, 'Midgardian'?"

"Oh, my apologies. Volstagg is one of Thor's good friends, and he always has a large appetite for delicacies and the like. I once considered him a friend of mine, too, but… no longer. As for your second question, Midgard is another name us Asgardians use to refer to Earth," Loki explained.

"I see. Well, if this Volstagg has as great an appetite as you say and you think he would enjoy my cooking as much as anything Asgard has to offer, I suppose I should be flattered!" Felicity laughed, and Loki found himself smiling along with her. Her smile was contagious.

"You should be." Honestly, the thought of The Warriors Three and the delicacies he used to enjoy on Asgard made him feel a bit nostalgic. Gone were the days when he would play with Thor in the sprawling gardens of Asgard as a child, playing pranks and getting into all sorts of trouble; gone were the days when he would make real progress in his magical studies and his mother would reward him with candy or other treats. He even recalled having a small infatuation with Lady Sif when they were children, yet he always knew he had no chance with her. He truly had been living in Thor's shadow for his entire life, yet his eyes hadn't been fully opened to that until over a year ago when he realized just how different the two of them really were.

"Loki, are you okay?"

He was snapped out of reverie when he heard Felicity trying to get his attention and he shook his head, smiling a bit and nodding his head. "I'm fine."

"Okay… Well, since we're done with breakfast, I'm going to go get changed. When I come out, we can leave and I'll give you a little tour of London. Sound good?"

"Yes; I'm looking forward to it." The surprising part was that he wasn't lying.

Loki spent the entire day with Felicity, sitting in the passenger seat of her car and looking at the city outside the window whenever they were headed to their next destination. He definitely preferred London to New York, and for a variety of reasons. Around one o'clock in the afternoon, they stopped at one of the many sidewalk cafés in the city and Loki followed Felicity inside, his hands casually in his pockets. It was a quaint little café, full of small tables and a very inviting atmosphere. The majority of the café-goers appeared to be couples, and that fact made him a bit uncomfortable. He waited until they were seated at an empty table by one of the café windows before saying anything about it.

"I couldn't help but notice that there seem to be a lot of couples here…"

"Huh? Oh, that. Well… you're right, in a manner of speaking. Couples do come here all the time on dates and stuff, but that's not the only crowd it attracts. Families come in, too. I used to come here with my ex-boyfriend all the time when we were together, but now I just come here because the employees know how to make an excellent cup of tea. I thought you might like to try the pastries they have here, too," Felicity explained, blushing a bit and smiling apologetically for making Loki feel uncomfortable.

"Hi, Felicity!" said a perky, feminine voice from nearby, interrupting the pair as they looked through their menus.

Felicity blanched.

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you all next chapter! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Finally managed to finish chapter 5! Sorry it took so long, everyone. I haven't had much of an opportunity to work on it for the past week or so. _ I'll try to get chapter 6 up as soon as possible! In the meantime, please read and review!**

**Rated M for later chapters (about that, I've heard that is purging the site of all explicit stories... so I may end up censoring the story here on for the sake of not having it deleted and then posting the uncensored version on a different site. I haven't made a decision yet, though, so I'll keep you all updated. If I do put the uncensored story elsewhere, I will post a link at the top of the censored chapter).**

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"Oooo, who's this? New boyfriend?"

Felicity looked up at the young woman who approached their table and forced a small smile, anxiously tapping her heel on the hardwood floor of the café. "Hi, Madison. Um, this is Loki… He's a friend."

The woman named Madison was a thin, perky blonde with bright blue eyes, her hair cut in a style that framed her pretty face. Her outfit consisted of a pale pink blouse and a black skirt, a nametag pinned to the right side of her shirt. Over the black skirt was a small, white apron with the café logo embroidered on the front in purple thread. _She must work here_, Loki thought. _She seems to know Felicity, though._

Madison turned her gaze toward Loki and looked him over, a friendly smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you, Loki. I'm Madison." She held a hand out toward him and Loki looked at it for a minute before grasping it with his own and giving it a slight shake.

"A pleasure," he said politely, turning his attention toward Felicity after a minute. "How do you two know each other?"

"Oh, we've been good friends since grade school," Madison said with a little giggle, in spite of the fact that Loki's question hadn't been directed at her. "We haven't been able to hang out much lately, though, because we're always so busy with our jobs and such."

"Speaking of that," Felicity interjected, her smile seeming a little bit forced, "I thought you didn't work on Saturdays, Madi?"

"I usually don't. Will couldn't come in because of some sort of family emergency, so I offered to cover his shift for him. I didn't really have any other plans for today anyway." Madison shrugged before taking a little notebook out of the pocket on the front of her apron, along with a black ballpoint pen. "So, what can I get you two today? Or are you still trying to decide what you want?"

Felicity skimmed over the menu one more time before smiling and nodding. "I think I know what I want. I'll have a cup of Earl Grey tea and a small piece of the chocolate fudge cake. What do you want to get, Loki?"

Loki shrugged and closed his menu, setting it down on the table and clasping his hands on top of the table in front of him. He wasn't very familiar with the foods that mortals enjoyed, so he supposed the quickest way to learn was to try new things; the quickest way to do that was to watch and learn.

"I'll have what Felicity is having," he said, looking up at Madison as she copied their order down in her notebook. The young woman read out loud what she had written in order to verify that it was correct, and she beamed at the two.

"Alright, two slices of chocolate fudge cake and two cups of Earl Grey tea, coming right up!" Madison walked off to get what they ordered and once she was out of earshot, Felicity sighed heavily and ran both hands through her hair in a flustered manner. Loki looked at her curiously, wondering why she was acting that way if Madison was a friend of hers.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I was seriously counting on her not being here today," she answered with a frown. "I mean, yes, she's my friend, but at the same time… ever since my ex-boyfriend and I separated, she thinks I'm dating every guy I hang out with. I could tell she was thinking that about us, so I'll probably be hearing about it later."

"Wait. She thinks that you and I are a couple?" The tone in Loki's voice was an amused one, and it was obvious that he had no idea how Madison could draw such a conclusion after having only just met him. _I will never understand mortal women._

Felicity's cheeks flushed a light shade of pink and she nodded, eyes downcast. "I had a feeling she might… That's why I was counting on her not working today, but I guess the fact that she's covering someone else's shift means I'm just very unlucky."

"Well, you told her otherwise, so there shouldn't be anymore misunderstandings in that regard. Correct?"

"I hope so. She's still probably going to try prying something out of me later on the phone when she goes home. I'm already preparing myself for that, mentally." Felicity let out a short laugh, and when Madison approached the table with a tray carrying their order, she smiled at her as though they hadn't just been speaking about her.

"Here you go, you two. Enjoy!" Madison cast one more curious look in Loki's direction before leaving them to their cake and tea, and Loki cut a piece of the treat with his fork. Tasting it, he was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted. He supposed he couldn't be too surprised, though. Everything else he had eaten here, at least in Felicity's company, had been very good.

Felicity sipped thoughtfully at her tea, watching him eat for a few moments before smiling and asking him how he liked it.

"It's good," he answered after swallowing another mouthful of the chocolaty treat. "You seem to have great taste in food and such, though, so I was expecting that it would be."

"Well, I'm glad you like it." She took a couple bites from her own piece of cake and sighed softly, a faraway look on her face as she allowed herself to be lost in thought. "My ex used to get this for me all the time… He bought the entire cake for me once as a birthday gift."

Loki set his teacup down and frowned at her, seeing the tinge of sadness in her eyes that she was trying so hard to hide. "You still care for this man, don't you?"

"Care for him? Hah! That's funny. No… Not anymore. The bastard cheated on me; I have no reason to _like_ him, let alone still be in love with him."

Loki had a feeling that she wasn't being truthful, since she had brought up her ex-boyfriend quite a few times since he first met her, but he decided it would be best to drop the subject. They were both supposed to be having a good time, and he didn't want to ruin that for her. The two fell silent for a while as they polished off their tea and cake, and when the time came for them to leave, Felicity paid for both of them and left her friend a generous tip.

Madison smiled. "Thanks, Felicity. I'll give you a call after my shift's over, okay?"

"Sure, okay. Talk to you later." Loki followed Felicity out of the café and back to her car, getting in the passenger seat and buckling the seatbelt now that he knew how to do so.

"Where are we going now?" he asked, looking at the young woman as she started driving. She had already taken him to so many places that afternoon, and he had no idea how many more she intended to show him.

"We can head home, if you want. I can't think of anything else to show you here in London, at least not at the moment."

_Home?_ He supposed Felicity's apartment was where he was staying right now due to circumstances that were out of his control, but… could he really call it his home? He had once considered Asgard to be his home, and a part of him desperately wanted to continue calling it so, even now.

_No…_ _I don't have a home. Not anymore._

The thought pained him, but he couldn't bring himself to see it any other way.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you all next chapter! ^_^**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Chapter 6 is FINALLY finished! x_x Sorry it took so long, everyone. I had to rewrite parts of it a bunch of times before I decided it was okay to publish. ^_^;; Please read and review!**

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Several months passed. During that time, Loki learned many things: how to use a computer and type, how to use a cell phone (Felicity had taken it upon herself to get one for him in spite of his protests), and Felicity had even begun to teach him how to cook simple meals for himself. Loki was surprised to find how easy cooking was, once one got the hang of it. Within days, he was able to make chocolate-chip pancakes, omelets, and even French toast. Quite unexpectedly and out of the blue, he even started taking it upon himself to make Felicity breakfast every morning before she went to work at the office. She told him constantly that it wasn't necessary, but he would always refute her claims. For six months, he had been living under her roof and not helping her pay anything toward the monthly rent. He wanted to repay her somehow, and since he didn't have a job, cooking her breakfast in the morning was the only method he could think of.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to disapprove of the fact that he couldn't put anything toward rent. She understood his situation very well, but even so, Loki couldn't help but feel bad for making her pay for everything. She had even taken the liberty of buying a nearly full wardrobe of clothes for him during the time he had spent living with her. There was no doubt that Felicity made more than enough money at her job to support the two of them, but he hated that he had to rely on her so much to survive on Midgard. It made him feel helpless; useless; _weak_.

The past half a year that he had spent with Felicity had slowly but surely been causing him to waver in his goals. He had initially planned on waiting the year out and changing his ways so that he could return to Asgard at year's end, and then once he got there, he would take the throne for himself and take his vengeance out on Midgard when he was done. Now, he wasn't so sure. If he did anything to this realm after forcefully taking power in Asgard, Felicity would be hurt along with the rest of humankind… and he had become rather attached to her.

_Maybe I could take her to Asgard with me,_ he thought. _I could give her a new home, a new life; a_ better _life._

What was he thinking? Felicity was mortal, and Midgard was her home. Even if he brought her to Asgard with him to spare her from the wrath he brought down on her home, she would never forgive him. He sighed quietly, absently poking at his breakfast in thought with the prongs of his fork. _What should I do? _For once, he was at a loss.

"Loki?" He looked up from his breakfast when he heard Felicity address him, seeing the concerned expression on her face. He smiled slightly, not wanting to worry her. Even if she asked him what was wrong, he couldn't tell her. If he did, he could only imagine what her reaction would be.

"I'm fine," he falsely assured her. "I just didn't sleep very well last night, so I'm a little tired."

"I see. Well, why don't you take a nap while I'm at work today? There's a party tonight that Madison invited us to, so being well-rested for that would probably be best," Madison said idly, bringing a piece of omelet up to her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. When she saw the questioning look on Loki's face, she blinked and tilted her head to the side with a small frown. "I didn't tell you?"

"No, you didn't. I had no idea I was invited to a party of any sort," he stated, leaning back in his chair a bit and crossing his arms. "I'll go, of course, but… this is the first I'm hearing about it."

"Oh, I'm so sorry! It must have slipped my mind. Work has been very hectic lately, so I guess I've just had so many other things on my mind that I forgot to bring it up." Felicity shook her head and sighed, seeming genuinely sorry for neglecting to tell Loki about the party. "It's not until eight o'clock, though, so you have plenty of time to rest beforehand."

Felicity told Loki a little bit more about the party at his request, revealing that it would be held at the house of a mutual friend of hers and Madison's. Loki had never been there before, but apparently said friend was rather wealthy and lived in a well-to-do neighborhood just outside of London.

"Have I met this friend of yours who is holding the party?" he questioned once Felicity was finished explaining to him where it would be held, sipping at his tea while he waited for a response.

"No, I don't think you and Will have ever met each other," Felicity mused. "He's a great guy, though. I've known him for a long, long time, and he's always been one of my closest friends. I think you'll get along with him pretty well."

"No doubt." Loki finished up his breakfast and got to his feet, putting the dirty dishes in the sink. When he heard Felicity get up and walk over, he took her dishes from her and put them in as well, smiling a bit at her. He glanced at the clock. "You'd better hurry, or you'll be late for work."

"It's that time already? Alright, I should probably get going then. Call me later if you want, okay? If I don't pick up, I'll answer when I go on my lunch break." Felicity walked over to the door and grabbed her coat, putting it on and tying the belt around her slim waist to keep the garment closed. Loki suddenly felt the need to look away when she flipped her long, auburn hair back over her shoulder, a tiny smile on his face.

"I'll give you a call around noon, then. For now, I think I'm going to go back to bed for a little while. Have a good day, Felicity."

"You, too. I'll see you later this afternoon." With that, Felicity picked up her purse and left the apartment, shutting the door behind her. Loki listened as her footsteps faded down the hall outside of the apartment and he sighed, running a hand through his long hair and closing his eyes.

_What's wrong with me? Whenever she does the smallest things now, I get so flustered…_

Felicity came home a little earlier that evening than Loki expected. On an ordinary day, she came home around six o'clock, but this time, she was home by five. When he inquired about why she was home so early, she explained to him that it always took her at least an hour to get ready for big parties such as the one her friend was throwing, between doing her hair and makeup and finding something nice to wear.

"You've got something nice to wear tonight, too," she said with a smile. "It's a semi-formal party, so just a pair of black trousers and one of your button-up shirts should be fine."

"I should be finished getting ready fairly quickly, then," Loki responded with a small grin.

And he was. He ultimately chose a pair of black trousers as Felicity had suggested and coupled it with a green silk shirt, the top two buttons left undone so that the collar wasn't choking him. Once he ran a brush through his hair to make himself more presentable, he was as good as ready. He left his bedroom and glanced over at Felicity's bedroom door, seeing that it was still closed; he smiled, wondering what she had chosen to wear.

His cheeks flushed lightly at the thought and he shook his head, sitting down on the couch and waiting patiently for Felicity to come out of her room. He watched television while he waited, and about forty-five minutes later, he finally heard Felicity's bedroom door open. He looked over, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.

Felicity looked breathtaking. She was wearing a crimson dress that terminated mid-thigh, the soft-looking material flattering her natural curves and her healthy physique. On her feet was a pair of black high heels with a series of thin straps that wrapped around her ankles to keep them from falling off. Her auburn waves spilled around her shoulders, framing her beautiful face. Her eyes were accented by a tasteful amount of brown makeup that made them stand out more, her long eyelashes seeming even longer due to a bit of mascara and eyeliner; her lips were covered with dark-red lipstick and her cheeks were dusted with a delicate pink blush.

"How do I look?" she asked him as though she had no idea how stunning she looked. Maybe she didn't. Even in Asgard, women had a tendency to ask men how they looked and absolutely glowed when they got praise for their beauty. Whether they needed men's approval or not, compliments were still welcomed and appreciated.

Loki smiled at her and took a few steps forward, hands in his trouser pockets.

"You look beautiful," he said sincerely. "In fact, I'm sure you're going to be the prettiest woman there." It was a playful remark and maybe a bit of a subtle flirt, but if there was anything flirty about it, Felicity didn't pick up on it. She laughed lightly and beamed, clasping her hands behind her back.

"I don't know about that, but thank you. You don't look half bad yourself, Loki. You clean up very nicely." She walked over to him and lightly touched the material of his shirt, a thoughtful smile on her face. "Green is definitely your color."

"Thank you."

Felicity glanced briefly at the clock on the wall then and announced that they should get going if they wanted to be on time, and Loki nodded in agreement. After Felicity made sure she had everything in her purse that she would need—lipstick in case hers started to fade during the night, some money, and her cell phone—the two of them grabbed their coats off the rack by the door and left.

"Hey, you made it!" Madison beamed when she offered to answer the door and Felicity and Loki were standing there, giving her friend a hug and even giving Loki one. "Will wasn't sure if you were coming or not."

"Yeah, when he called me up earlier this week to ask if I wanted to go, I told him it would depend on how much work I had to get done. I managed to get all of it done early today though, so here I am. Where is Will, anyway? I want to say hello."

"He's over there, talking to a few of the other guests," Madison stated, pointing to where a tall brunet man was chatting with a smartly dressed man and woman. Felicity walked over with Loki in tow, smiling warmly at Will when he noticed her.

"Felicity! I'm so glad you could make it," he said sincerely, smiling widely and pulling her into a careful hug. When he saw Loki, he let go of Felicity and held a hand out toward him a friendly gesture, offering to shake his hand. Loki accepted.

"And you must be Loki. Felicity mentioned you might be coming with her if she was able to come tonight. It's nice to meet you," Will stated with a polite smile. "She mentioned something about you two being roommates?"

"That's correct," Loki confirmed, letting go of Will's hand after giving it a couple of firm shakes. "I've been living with her for about six months now."

Will seemed surprised that Loki had been living with Felicity so long and he glanced briefly at her. It didn't take Loki long to figure out what the questioning glance was for: Will wanted to know if Loki was being a freeloader.

"He has been looking for a job," Felicity stated calmly, setting a hand on Loki's shoulder. "For now, I've been letting him pay me back by cooking and cleaning for me." Loki looked at her with quiet surprise.

_She is as talented a liar as myself._

"That's understandable. The job market certainly isn't the best right now, so I imagine it would be difficult. I wish you the best of luck in your search. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go greet a few more guests who just arrived." Will seemed apologetic about having to excuse himself, but before he could walk away, he paused and fixed Felicity with a serious look.

"I should probably let you know that your ex-boyfriend is here…"

Felicity's eyes widened and she visibly went tense. "You _invited him_?"

"Of course not! I know how much you hate him after what he did to you… but apparently he's dating someone I did invite, so she brought him with her. I assure you, I had no idea she was with him." Will frowned at Felicity's reaction and set a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Just avoid him if you see him. If he tries to say anything to you, just tell him you want nothing to do with him and just want to enjoy the party. That's all I can recommend."

"Right. Well… thank you for letting me know, Will. I appreciate it."

"That's what friends are for." With that, Will finally left to greet some more of his guests, leaving Loki and Felicity alone to mingle with the others.

For the first couple of hours, the party was great fun. Loki accepted drinks as they were offered but was careful not to drink too much, knowing that his alcohol tolerance hadn't been the best even in Asgard. Even though Loki and Felicity didn't stay near each other for the whole party, Loki couldn't help but allow himself a few glances in her direction whenever she was chatting with other party guests. He admired the way her auburn waves spilled over her shoulders—the way her eyes lit up with mirth and danced—with every laugh; the way her full lips turned up at the corners and revealed little dimples with every smile.

"Well, well, look who's daydreaming." Loki jumped slightly at the sudden voice but relaxed a bit when he saw that it was only Madison. She giggled and took a sip of her drink, taking amusement in the look on his face.

"You like her, don't you?" Madison asked, expression softening when Loki turned his gaze toward Felicity again from across the room. Loki didn't know whether or not he should talk about this with Madison, but for the past six months, she had been nothing but nice to him. He sighed and looked down at his glass of champagne as though asking it to give him the strength to talk about how he felt.

"If thinking about her constantly during the day while she's at work and always wanting to make her happy means I'm infatuated with her, then yes… Yes, I think I am," he mumbled uncertainly, glancing at Madison and frowning. "But what can I do? I can't just tell her outright like that."

"Why the hell not?" Madison asked, setting her empty champagne glass on the glass coffee table and crossing her arms while looking at him with disbelief. "I can tell she cares about you, Loki. Whenever I hang out with her, she always brings you up at least once. I really think that if you tell her how you feel, she'll listen."

_Her not hearing me out isn't what I'm anxious about… It's being rejected that frightens me._

Loki hadn't had the best track record with women during his life. When he was only a teenager, he told Sif how he felt about her and that he wanted to show her how much she meant to him. She turned him down politely, but shortly after that, Loki found out she was Thor's latest "conquest." He was _furious_ when he found out, and he never wanted to be rejected by a woman like that again.

_Felicity is nothing like Lady Sif, though. She is different somehow._

Maybe Madison was right. Maybe telling Felicity how he felt wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. Feeling more confident, he took a deep breath and slowly let it out before getting to his feet and downing his glass of champagne and handing the empty glass to Madison.

"Alright, I'll tell her. I suppose I don't really have anything to lose." He looked around for her, but he appeared to have lost sight of her. Walking over to the young woman he had seen Felicity speaking with previously, he asked where she had gone.

"She said she was going to the restroom to freshen up," the woman answered, pointing in the direction of the restroom. Thanking her, Loki headed in that direction and turned the corner to wait outside the restroom for Felicity to come out, his heart beating so fast he thought it might burst. Already, he was rehearsing what he would say to her.

Then, upon turning the corner, he saw something he never, ever needed to see.

Felicity was in the arms of her ex, pinned against the wall with her lips pressed against his and her fingers tightly clutching at his shirt. Loki lingered for only a few moments before going back around the corner before either of them had a chance to see him, his eyes shimmering and his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

_I guess she doesn't hate him as much as she keeps saying she does. I should have known she still loves him. I should have known I wouldn't stand a chance._

Shaking his head, Loki swiftly moved through the crowd of guests and grabbed his coat off the back of the couch he had previously been sitting on with Madison.

"Loki?" Madison questioned, getting to her feet and looking at him with wide, worried eyes. "Loki, what's the matter?"

He didn't answer. Ignoring Madison's calls of his name and not so much as looking at her, he ran from Will's lavish home and never once looked back.

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**A/N: Sad chapter ending is sad. T_T So, the reason this fanfic is rated M is coming up veeeery soon... I have decided that when that chapter comes up, I will be putting a censored version here to prevent the people from deleting this fanfic for explicit content. _**

**BUT-I will be uploading the uncensored chapter to my rarely-used LiveJournal. :) At the top of the censored chapter in the author's note, I will post the link to the uncensored version on my LiveJournal so that you can enjoy both versions. Does that sound like a good plan? Please leave a review on this chapter and let me know!**

**Because I will essentially have to write two separate versions of that chapter-which will most likely be chapter 7-it will take a while for me to update. Please bear with me, though. I'm doing my best to make this fic the best it can possibly be for everyone who has kept up with the updates from the beginning.**

**Love you guys, and I'll see you next chapter! ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here it is, everyone! Chapter seven is finally up! :) I'm so so so soooooooo sorry it took so long for me to upload it! I got a new job about a month ago, and there was a stretch of time where they scheduled me to work every single day, so I haven't had a lot of free time to work on this. I know I mentioned at the beginning of chapter six that I was going to write an uncensored version of the chapter and a censored version, but I decided to just write the uncensored version. Having to go back and edit out all the dirty stuff would have taken longer than I would have liked and caused you guys to have to wait longer for chapter seven. **

**Hopefully the wait was worth it, though. ^_^;; And now, without further ado, here is chapter seven. Please read and review!**

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Felicity's ex-boyfriend recoiled when he felt the young woman finally succeed in shoving him away, and a few seconds later, his head snapped to the side as she smacked him with every bit of strength she could muster.

"What the fuck are you doing, Jason?" she yelled at him, shoving him in the chest when he tried approaching her once again. "How dare you!"

"Come on, baby, don't be like that," Jason said smoothly, a cocky smirk on his face. "I miss you, and I want you back."

"You cheated on me, and you have a girlfriend now!" Felicity was disgusted, and the lingering feeling of the wretch's kiss on her lips made her want to vomit. "You think I want _you_? You're a piece of shit! I'm warning you, Jason. Stay away from me, don't talk to me, don't even _glance_ in my direction, or so help me, you will be sorry." Felicity stormed back into the crowded room of partygoers and looked around for Loki. She was in no mood to socialize anymore, so leaving the party early was looking more and more like a good idea. However, after sweeping over the crowd a few times with her eyes, she noticed that Loki was nowhere in sight.

_Where is he?_

"Felicity!"

She turned away from the couch after grabbing her coat and came face to face with a very worried Madison. "What's wrong, Madison? Hey, have you seen Loki anywhere? Jason being here just completely ruined my night, so I think it would be best if we went home now."

"Loki left. He… he just stormed out on his own a little while ago!" Madison explained.

"He _what_?" Felicity cried. "Well, did… did he at least say why? Or where he was going?"

"He wouldn't even look at me when I asked him what was wrong. He told me he had something to tell you, so I told him you had gone to the loo to freshen up a bit and that you would most likely be out in a few minutes. He went to find you, but then a minute later, he came running past me, grabbed his coat, and left."

Felicity paled at the new turn of events. The more Madison explained to her, the more the pieces started to fit together in cohesion instead of in a jumbled mess. There was only one explanation for his sudden exit after trying to seek her out…

_He must have seen me with Jason! Oh dear… what a mess!_

Attempting to stay calm, Felicity spoke as evenly as she could while putting her coat on. Madison was worried enough; she didn't need to worry her even more. "He must have gone home on his own, then. He probably took a taxi. I mean, where else would he go? I'm sorry, Madison, but I need to go. I have no idea where Will is, so could you tell him that I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye? Just tell him something important came up."

"Sure, Felicity. If you do talk to Loki, give me a call and let me know both of you are okay when you get the chance. Okay? He seemed really upset, and you seem pretty bent-out-of-shape yourself." Madison's expression suddenly became serious, her face darkening with concern. "What happened with Jason, Felicity? What did he say?"

"What he _did _was corner me as I was coming out of the loo and kiss me. He's a right asshole. I mean, he's got a new girlfriend, for fuck's sake!" Felicity's answer was more than a little shocking to Madison, especially since it was a rare thing for her to curse in front of people, even her own friends. For her to curse, it meant she was truly pissed off, indeed.

"He did _what_?! That son of a bitch! I… I'm going to see to it that Will sets him straight for this. And _I'm_ going to ensure that his new girlfriend hears about this. The last thing that poor woman needs is to go through the same thing he put you through."

"Thanks, Madison. I'll see you around."

Felicity left, hoping Loki really had gone home and was safe and sound. If anything happened to him, she would never be able to forgive herself.

Felicity ran up the stairs to her apartment and fumbled for her keys, unlocking the door and making her way inside. A quiet sigh of relief escaped her when she saw Loki sitting on the couch and she walked over to him without bothering to take off her coat.

"Loki, are you alright? Madison told me you looked upset, and you left the party without saying a word to anybody…"

"You told me you didn't love him anymore," Loki mumbled, his voice surprisingly devoid of emotion. He didn't so much as look at the concerned woman sitting next to him on the couch. "I saw you kissing him outside of the lavatory." He looked at Felicity then, his green eyes full of betrayal and sadness.

"Your former lover," he elaborated.

Felicity's heart sunk at the realization that Loki had seen all of that and she sighed, frowning at him. "Loki, I know what it looked like... but I swear to you, I don't want him. He forced himself on me and told me he wanted me back, but I told him to piss off." She reached over and set a hand on the raven-haired man's shoulder, a shimmer of sincerity in her eyes.

"Besides," she murmured, "there's someone else I have my eye on… and he's shown me much more kindness than that bastard ever did."

Loki's eyes widened slightly at the admission and his expression softened when Felicity's hand moved to rest against his cheek, her thumb lightly stroking the skin there. A part of him wanted to believe that Felicity was lying to him. After all, he had been lied to in the past, and he knew it wouldn't be the last time. At the same time, though, _he_ was a talented liar himself, so he knew what to look for. Felicity wasn't exhibiting any of the telltale signs of deception, which left only one possible explanation: she was telling him the truth. Slowly, carefully, he brought a hand up to rest over Felicity's as it stroked his cheek. He held it as though he would bruise the young woman's hand with the slightest bit of pressure.

Felicity smiled warmly at him, her gaze soft as it trailed briefly to Loki's lips. She had found herself wondering more and more lately: how soft were they? Would he be a good kisser? Her mind was often preoccupied with daydreams of her handsome flatmate whenever she was at work, and it could be very distracting. Now seemed as good a time as any to find the answers to her many questions. Without a second thought, she inched closer until their thighs were almost touching, her lips drawn toward Loki's as though by an invisible thread. The closer she came to kissing him, the more her breath hitched.

Loki couldn't think. He could hardly breathe when he saw Felicity drawing nearer and nearer; her breath smoothed warmly over his lips like the barest brush of feathers. In his centuries of life, Loki had never shared a real kiss with a woman. After Sif had rejected him, Loki shut his heart completely to the fairer sex (with the exception of his mother Frigga, of course) and that was the end of it. He did not take rejection well, and a more pessimistic side of him screamed in his head that Felicity was toying with him, that this was all a joke to her in some way. Deep down, though, he knew that wasn't true. There was meaning behind this moment, and Loki's heart swelled at the realization.

Someone really loved him.

He closed his eyes and allowed his lips to move in unison with Felicity's, one hand resting softly against her lower back to hold her to him while the other hand moved to cradle one side of her face against his palm. Emboldened by the fact that Loki wasn't uncomfortable with the kiss, Felicity soon put more feeling into it and the kiss became more passionate and almost desperate in nature, her arms wrapping around Loki's neck. She was pressed flush against him by now, her hands sliding through the man's dark hair and lightly gripping it between her fingers. At some point, she ended up on Loki's lap, a knee on either side of his hips. She reluctantly broke the kiss a minute later to catch her breath, panting softly over Loki's lips and opening her long-lashed eyes to lock gazes with him.

Loki's hands rested on Felicity's hips now, lips slightly parted as he, too, caught his breath. The corner of his mouth turned up in a slight smirk when he saw how flushed Felicity looked, unaware that he was flushed as well.

"I am sorry for being so suspicious," he murmured, his voice still sounding somewhat breathless from the kiss. "If you didn't care about me, I… I don't suppose you would have come looking for me."

"You're right; I wouldn't have." Felicity held Loki's face between her hands, smiling and resting her forehead against his. "I love you."

"I… I love you, too."

Felicity pulled away slightly, her expression suddenly serious as she observed him. It was almost as though she was trying to read something on his face, and he raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Felicity sighed quietly and shook her head, a little smile returning to her face. "It's nothing. Now… where were we?" Before Loki had time to open his mouth and say anything in response, Felicity's lips were on his once more and all words were lost to the sound of their mingled breaths and the rustling of clothing.

The span of time between kissing on the couch and falling onto Felicity's bed was a blur in Loki's mind. At some point on the way to the bedroom, his shirt was discarded and his belt was unbuckled. His breath hitched when Felicity straddled his hips and he felt a stirring warmth that spread from his lower abdomen to his groin when she put all of her weight on that area. He pushed the bottom of Felicity's dress further up her thighs to expose the silky-smooth skin there, his fingertips occasionally kneading the firm-but-soft flesh he found there. He tilted his head back when Felicity's lips nipped and sucked along the expanse of his neck, a muscle tensing there in anticipation.

Felicity must have sensed his anxiety because she chuckled lightly against his neck and sat back to look down at him, her pupils slightly dilated with desire as she shifted her hips over his groin. He groaned at the movement, fingers tensing against her thighs.

"You're so sensitive," she said pointedly. "Haven't you ever done anything like this before?"

Loki shook his head. "Never." He smiled when Felicity looked genuinely shocked at this new bit of information and he sat up to kiss her, sliding a hand along the length of her back while propping himself up with the other.

"I guess I just never met the right woman," he whispered against her lips. Their affections resumed as Felicity assisted Loki with removing her dress, raising her arms so that he could slide it off of her and drop it off the side of the bed. Her skin was so warm against his own, yet it made a chill dance through him. He couldn't help but be slightly nervous. What if he did something wrong? What if he couldn't satisfy Felicity? This was his first time, after all. What if, what if, what if…

He flipped their positions then, laying Felicity down on the bed and resting between her legs. He would just have to do his best to make her feel good, he decided. There was nothing wrong with experimenting, right? He copied what Felicity had done to him, nipping and suckling her neck. He was rewarded with a few breathy moans and a murmured utterance of his name, the beautiful young woman's fingers weaving into his long hair and urging him to continue his path downward. He did.

A hand reached around to undo the clasp of Felicity's bra so that he could remove it, his cheeks feeling hot when he saw her bare breasts. She was gorgeous; more gorgeous than Sif could ever hope to be (he thought that last with a certain amount of smugness). Unable to resist, his lips kissed over one of Felicity's breasts before toying briefly with the hardened nub he found there, repeating the action with the other before continuing down her body. His lips soon reached the hem of her panties and he flicked his sylvan gaze toward her face, silently questioning whether it was okay for him to continue.

She only nodded, her lips parted with silent bliss.

Loki's fingertips slid under the waistband of her panties and slid them down her long legs, dropping them somewhere next to the bed. He took a few moments to admire her body, how it shifted under him and how a thin sheen of sweat was already starting to form on her feverish skin. He swallowed heavily and ground his hips briefly against the bed with a quiet grunt, his own arousal starting to feel almost painful in the confines of his trousers.

The garment was kicked off soon enough, his undergarments soon to follow. It was uncomfortable for a minute, being so exposed to Felicity's gaze, but he supposed it was only fair since she, too, was baring everything to him. The blankets on Felicity's bed were soft, but against Loki's overly sensitive member, they felt abrasive and rough. He groaned into Felicity's hip and he looked up at her face when he heard her say his name as though to get his attention.

"I can help with that," she whispered huskily, eyes hooded with desire as she stared down at him. She knew Loki had planned on doing a similar thing to her, but she could wait. If this really was Loki's first intimate encounter with a woman, she wanted to ensure that she made it worthwhile and unforgettable. She guided Loki to lie down against the pillows on her bed so that he was sitting up a bit and she knelt between his legs, trailing her fingertips down his torso until she could take his erection in-hand.

Loki shuddered and released a soft moan, his eyes closing for a few moments because of the sudden pleasure before opening again and focusing on Felicity's face. He was no stranger to a hand touching him (even though the only hand he had ever felt before this was his own), but when Felicity ducked her head toward him, he knew there was more in store for him than that. He felt the warmth of Felicity's mouth slowly taking him in and he tilted his head back against the pillows, huskily whispering her name and sliding his fingers through her auburn hair.

She continued this oral stimulation for several minutes, only using her tongue to tease the tip a few times before releasing him. He groaned at the loss of that warmth, opening his eyes to see what she was up to this time. He was surprised when he saw her sliding one hand between her legs and he reached out to lightly grab her wrist, making her pause.

"You don't need to do that," he said with an almost shy smile, motioning for her to lie down in his place. She did. "It's only fair that I return the favor." He lay down on his stomach between her legs and allowed her to put her legs over his shoulders, giving him an unobstructed view of what was between her legs. He ran his tongue slowly along her wet folds, the smell of her arousal thick in his nostrils as he flicked his tongue repeatedly along the sensitive little bud of flesh he found there. He delighted in the sharp cry of bliss that tore free of Felicity's lungs, her body writhing on the bed and her legs spreading a bit further apart so that he would be able to focus more on that particular spot. The female anatomy was an interesting one, indeed. With every flick of his tongue over that area, it was as though Felicity simultaneously melted and tensed every muscle in her body, her back arching and the most beautiful sounds sliding past her parted lips.

He simply couldn't wait any longer. He needed to have her. He raised his head and moved so that he was holding himself over her, his lips playing briefly along hers as he spoke. He uttered only Felicity's name, but the way it was said was all Felicity needed to know that he was as ready as she was. She sat up a bit and reached toward her nightstand, opening the drawer and pulling out a small, foil packet. Loki eyed it curiously, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at the strange object. Felicity laughed softly. _Perhaps they don't have condoms in Asgard. They probably have other means of birth control_, she thought.

"It's just a precaution," she explained, tearing off the foil and showing him the condom. "You know, against pregnancy."

"Ah, of course." Loki watched, bemused, as Felicity started rolling the thin but durable barrier over his member, moaning quietly at the warm touch of her hands. The condom felt strange, but it was undoubtedly necessary. Once it was on, Felicity lay back down and spread her legs for him, her cheeks flushed and her hair pooled around her head in luscious waves of red-brown. Loki positioned himself at her entrance, prodding her uncertainly and shivering with anticipation at the resulting gasp that came from her.

"It's okay," she whispered to him, eyes shimmering with so much love and trust that it made Loki's heart ache. "You won't hurt me."

Reassured by the comforting tone of the young woman's voice, Loki slowly and carefully pushed into her, groaning huskily at the sensation. She was tight, and so very warm… It was unlike anything he had ever felt before, and it was wonderful. Soon, he was sheathed fully inside of her and paused for a few moments, nearly overwhelmed by the sensations coursing through his body.

Felicity moaned breathlessly and wrapped her legs around Loki's waist, grinding against him and smiling at the pleasured sound he made in response to the unexpected movement. "P-please, Loki," she gasped. "Move…"

Loki did as Felicity asked, pulling out slowly until only the tip was in before sliding right back into her. His pace was only slow for a few minutes before quickening to a more moderate one, his movements becoming more confident as Felicity made it more and more apparent with her voice and her movements that he was doing it right. He huffed and moaned into Felicity's neck, kissing and suckling the sensitive skin there between breaths. The coil of heat inside of him built and built with each thrust into her warm body, making it harder for him to string a coherent sentence together.

"I'm… close," he breathed into Felicity's ear, nibbling at her earlobe and gasping when he felt her inner walls squeeze around him more tightly. He had found her sweet spot. Suddenly, Felicity was pushing him onto his back and mounting him, impaling herself on his member and riding him insistently. Her moans and cries increased in volume and Loki gripped her hips firmly, guiding her up and down even though she really didn't need him to.

"M-me, too… O-oh God…! _Loki_…!" She threw her head back with a loud cry as she reached her end, spasms of bliss coursing through her body as she squeezed Loki ever tighter. Loki reached his breaking point mere moments later, gasping at the intensity of it as he filled the condom. Orgasms were not new to him, but this one was so much more intense than any he could give himself.

Felicity collapsed on top of him and tried her hardest to draw in breaths, her entire body quivering in its post-coital high. Once she had the presence of mind to do so, she slid off of him and helped Loki remove the condom, tying a knot in the end of it to keep the warm fluid inside before tossing it into the waste basket. She snuggled close to Loki's side and released a shaky but contented sigh, smiling and kissing the edge of his jaw.

"I love you," she murmured, sounding quite exhausted from the night's events. Loki smiled and turned onto his side so he could hold her in his arms, resting his chin against the top of her head and running his fingers soothingly through her hair.

"I love you, too."

They were silent for quite some time, resting in each other's arms, and Loki soon wondered if Felicity had fallen asleep. Moments later, though, she broke the silence.

"In the living room before, when you first said you love me… you hesitated," she noted, looking up at him curiously and with a small degree of hurt in her eyes. "Why?"

"No one has ever told me they love me in this way," he answered in no more than a whisper. "The last woman I said I loved threw it back in my face and laughed at me for saying it, so… I suppose a part of me was afraid you might do the same thing."

"But I said it first."

"I know. That's why it confused me; it caught me off-guard."

"I see…"

"Don't worry about it," Loki murmured, tilting Felicity's chin up with his hand and pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. "We should get some sleep. It's been a long day, and you have work tomorrow morning."

"I'm probably not going to go in. I don't have many sick days, so there won't be any harm in calling out just this once. Besides… what could be better than having a day in, cuddling on the couch and watching a few movies?"

Loki laughed. "Alright, but I'm still making you breakfast in the morning."

"Fine by me."

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**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I worked really hard on it over the past two days so I could get it done for you guys. Your ongoing support for this fanfic means a lot, and I will do my best to get the next chapter up in a more timely fashion. I start school on Wednesday, so my free time will be even more stretched between that and work, but I'll certainly try to put up chapter eight sooner than I was able to upload this one.**

**As always, please read and review, and I will see you all next chapter!**


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